"The justices required all applicants to be given individualized consideration without using overt racial preferences."

Diversity without quotas. As a businessman, it makes sense to me. I wouldn't want everybody in my office to wear the same colored shirt, hail from the same town, or all have the same hobbies for that matter. Assuming a pool of candidates who all meet minimum qualification requirements, it's much better to have a healthy mix of employees of different backgrounds, different life stories. It promotes creative thinking in the workplace, and offers fresh perspectives. And it need not have one single thing to do with racial quotas.

(now I know I'm starting to sound like one of those "New England" Republican! oh, well.)